The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus such as a facsimile machine, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus having an improved sheet tray to receive recording sheets and document sheets, etc.
Many types of sheet trays for facsimile machines and the like have been proposed. For example, the facsimile machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 41007/1987 has a single sheet tray for both recording sheets that are recorded upon, and document sheets. In addition, the facsimile machine disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 32864/1987 has a sheet tray that receives recording sheets recorded upon and functions as a sheet hopper for inserting the document sheet to the facsimile machine by hand. In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 29331/1988 there is disclosed a facsimile machine provided with a document sheet tray above a recording sheet tray and having a small amount of protrusion so that the end portion of document sheets protruding from the document sheet tray are supported by the recording sheet tray. Thus, conventional facsimile machines have had their size and cost made smaller with the same tray used for both types of sheet.
Conventional facsimile machines and the like have not had sufficient mutual connection between the hopper for supplying the recording sheets, the recording sheet discharge tray and the document sheet discharge tray, and significant advances in lowering the cost and in reducing the space taken have not been possible. In addition, thermal transfer facsimile machines that use ink-donor film become particularly high because of the need to mount a cassette housing the ink-donor film.